To:
Ex-Senator Blanche Lincoln

Cashing in on public service by lobbying for unethical corporations is offensive to the American people. Senator Lincoln: Stop lobbying for Monsanto.

Why is this important?

News broke recently that Monsanto – one of the most influential corporations among members of Congress – has hired former U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln's lobbying firm, the Lincoln Policy Group, to do it’s bidding in Washington, DC.

Cashing in on her public service by helping massive corporations like Monsanto gut food safety, public health and transparency laws is just wrong.

Recently, Monsanto helped defeat an initiative that would have required genetically modified foods sold in my home state of Washington to be labeled. The company dumped millions of dollars into misleading TV ads to confuse Washington state residents and keep us in the dark about what we're eating.

Lincoln’s lobbying firm has also hired her former staffer Robert Holifield -- who served as her staff director on the Senate Agriculture Committee when she was the committee chair -- as a partner at her lobbying firm. This shows that Senator Lincoln is going beyond using her own connections she developed as a Senator to cash in – she’s actively recruiting former Congressional staff to boost her efforts to influence leaders on Capitol Hill.

Monsanto is clearly already far too influential in the halls of Congress, as evidenced by the “Monsanto Protection Act.” This legislation, which was anonymously added to a must-pass budget bill in March, allowed Monsanto to ignore food safety laws and disregard court opinions.

Lincoln has also done lobbying work for companies like the telecommunications company Nokia and major credit reporting bureau, Experian, -- and she's continuing to seek new clients as she grows her firm. By shining a public spotlight on Lincoln's lobbying for Monsanto we can damage her firm's reputation with other potential clients and send a strong message to elected officials that cashing in on public service by lobbying for unethical corporations is unacceptable.